Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1887-06-27

a whole ffve-cent piece to put in the
collection plate Sunday evening.
He never went TO church in the morn
ing because he staid at home with
his grandfather while his mother
went to church, and he never went
to Sunday school because his grand
father liked him to sit by his bed
Sunday afternoons and read to him,
but he always went to church Sunday
evenings, and perhaps did as much
listening and learning in one service
as some people do in three. Dick
mad learned for one thing there was
happiness in giving. He loved to
give. Indeed, as an eminent divine
once did, he used to empty his peck
cts before leaving home of all but
his five or three or one cent piece for
fear he might put something in the
plate which ought to be spent for
MS mother or grandfather. So,
when one evening the minister an
nounced 4 special free-will offering
for the next Sabbath evening, little
Dick Ionged to have something spec
al to give, something even more
special than fve-cent piece He
noted carefully what the minister
said about bringing in the tithes.
He listened closely when he went on
TO explain about the 1.-THE being one
tenth; and Dick thought he under
stood all about it. All through that
week little Dick thought about it
and wondered how he could save up
the special. but whether because the
weather was fair and boots not so
muddy, or whether because that was
the week that his grandfather's rheu-
matte medicine must be renewed.
Saturday morning found him again
on the streets with no prospect vet
of any special beyond q fve-cent
piece.
"A shine for a dime A shine
for a dime - he shouted in the pauses
Of the tune he was whistIing His
regular customers had all been serv-
ed and two or three extras besides,
and still he kept up the whistle and
the call
"WeIl, chap. I guess my shoes
need something of that sort
Dicks block was down in q second,
and his backing and brushes ready
for work the moment the speaker
was ready to put up his foot. He
was one Of the tip-tOps Dick could
see that the minute he looked at his
line cloth suit and pointed toes.
You have muscle, I see,' he said
Is little Dick rubbed and brushed
md polished with a will until the
sun himself would have felt fat
tered by his reflection in the two
points.
A job like that deserves special
pay" he continued, carefully select
ing the piece he wished from his
handful Of change
There, you have earned all Of
that and more too" The gentleman
handed little Dick q quarter and
walked quickly away. Hs was out
of sight directly, leaving little Dick
with q rejoicing heart, only sorry
that he had no chance to speak his
thanks. Again he shouldered his
block and the whistle and the shout
sounded louder and merrier.
When Dick got home that night
he had TO do some hard calculating
He was no arithmetician, for he had
never been to school a day in his
life, but with the aid of his mother
and grandfather in the one-tenth
he succeeded IN arranging his affairs
to his satisfaction He emptied the
little box in which he kept his earn
ings upon his grandfather bed and
placed the coins in a row of ten,
/ counting slowly and carefully so as
to make no mistake. With the TWEEN
tv-fve cents which the fine gentle
man had given him there was just
one dollar and fifteen cents. One
dollar he had rightfulIy earned, the
fifteen cents had been q gift. He
consulted with his mother whether
he could not give ten cents Of his
own earnings would be his
tenth, and then surely he might give
the fifteen cents extra which he had
not really earned besides. He would
give the whole quarter just as it was.
| he decided.
"A whole quarter That will be
a special, won't it, mother" he ex-
claimed with pardonable pride.
His mother would not hinder him,
although she knew that the rent
would soon be due again and
she had not earned as much
with her washing that week as
usual. She would let the plate
pass her by in the morning and Dick
should put it all in in the evening.
So little Dick ran to church with a
happy heart the next evening, his
special" snugIy hid in his jacket
pocket. He sang the hymns with
all his might and prayed with all his
understanding, and when the plate
came around put his special in